Kallang Basin

I just love to come by Kallang Basin, clean water, fresh air and open spaces. It's hot in the day but cool in the evening and the condominiums around there seemed to be painted so very often, to give a freshness around the place. I remember very clearly one hot day in 1980 when I went fishing right here in the Basin on a small motorised sampan. There were fishermen wading in the metre deep mud, they were casting nets to catch whatever that could survive in those waters. The water was murky and black, it had a fermenting smell caused by years of rotten garbage under the Basin. It was also a graveyard for the tonkangs - left to rot in the mud of the Kallang basin- this area was used for boat building until the early 90s.

Last week I went recce on my bike - it gets heavier each day. I started from ECP Fort Rd to Tanjong Rhu to the stadiums, then up Merdeka bridge to the other side of the Basin, where school children gather to paddle the canoes and dragon boats. The park was in a mess, construction, digging and fencing all over, but I still managed to ride the bike along the edge of the Basin towards the Singapore Flyer where there were more construction crews dismantling the steel girders used for the F1 racing some weeks back.

On the way back to Fort Road, I met Ah Pek near Oasis Restaurant - he gave me a lecture on how to cope with life, as you grow old in Singapore . "Don't get sick," he said -" eat moderately and stay away from cigarettes, alcohol and sex. Exercise daily to keep fit - better still like me, I am 72, I get paid for cycling around the park to clear the rubbish. When it rains, I find shelter, and when the weather is hot I clear the areas in the shade. Daily expenses are very high, I bring my own food and drinks to work, and save some money in case I get sick. Don't depend on your children to support you; they have their own money problems, what they earn are hardly enough for their family. They also need to save money for their children's education - See Peh Kwee" ( means very expensive) he said.

I tend to agree with him with almost all what he said - as for sex, he was referring to the nearby Geylang brothels. If he was'nt going like a rocket I would have added in a few things for him to think about - he was so happy to have someone listen to his philosophy of clean living and self sufficiency. - Ah Pek is right - you know. Economy is bad and unemployment is on the rise. I shall have to postpone buying the macro camera lens for awhile.

Last night the weather was good and visibility excellent, so I went to the Kallang Basin to shoot the night scenes. Kennynair, got to pay ERP charges at 6.45 pm - as if petrol taxes are not high enough - and got to pay car parking some more. But the park at the condo belt is beautiful at night, with the city lights gradually being turned on as the sun sets. Some dragon boats and sailing boats were returning to base thru the Sheare's bridge, - I think no ERP (Every Road and River to Pay) yet but the natural gantry is already there.

Sheare's Bridge leading to the city is a delight to watch and now the Flyer is an icon from any point along the Marina Bay and Kallang basin. At 8 pm I was hoping that the condo lights would come on and that the Indoor Stadium would also turn on its lights - no such luck, with electricity rates up by 21.5%, nobody would be fool enough to turn on their lights for the sake of an amateur photographer. My friend asked me why must pay so much for electricity when oil price is on the way down. How to explain ? - Must be the New Maths they teach in schools nowadays, or perhaps can blame on business guru Steven Covey's bad habits -" Start with the End in Mind". Kennynair, End in mind for SP - To make $1 billion a year, then work backwards on how to achieve this figure, easy way is to increase rates, hard way is to reduce salary and bonus of senior executives. Who dunno.

The Oasis Restaurant which used to light up beautifully at night had closed its business. It is a deserted building now - no more lights to brighten up the Basin. Most buildings in Singapore don't last more than 35 years. The 7th Storey Hotel at Rochore Road, once the tallest building along the road in the 60s, will be going down shortly to make way for the MRT station. It lasted 45 years.

I got down to do my thing and finished at about 8.30pm, at which time there were still a lot of joggers and walkers in the park - somehow many foreigners especially from IT India live in the condominiums - great place to live, clean, fresh air and near the city. If they long for nostalgic India, it is not far away. My friend told me they had a great Dewali party two days ago with fireworks and Bollywood dancing along the Basin.

I had a good time shooting the Bridge - but Kennynair - not enough lights around the Basin, leh!